Starry Eyed
by Mae182
Summary: Isabella Maylee is definitely starry eyed. Maybe too much for her own good. She's keeping a big secret not just from her friends, but from the Doctor himself.
1. Chapter 1

"You have to go," I yelled at him. "Doctor, you have to go now!"

"I'm not leaving you!" he screamed back, trying to stretch his hand out further.

"You have to, there's no other way!"

"There is _always _a way. I'm the Doctor, there's always something!"

I smiled at him sadly, knowing this would be the last time I ever saw him, his crazy hair and Chuck Taylors. "I used to think so too."

He didn't seem to hear, instead leaning back into the TARDIS and shouting to our other accomplice, "Rose! Get me the rope!"

He wasn't listening, and I knew I didn't have much longer until the Alreeys returned. "Can't you just admit it and go? Save yourselves before it's too late!"

"Get it through your mind that I am not leaving you." His determined face only made this harder, I wished they would just leave and get it over with.

As he was tinkering with the sonic screwdriver, I felt something pull at my arms. I looked behind my shoulder, seeing the bonds of the nightmare tugging at me. Wait, it was _me _that was resisting this? I didn't have to wait for the Alreeys to come, I could just decide when to go?

I knew what I had to do. For the people of Earth, along with the Doctor and Rose, I would have to be succumbed to my fears, the terror designed especially for me. I had a feeling I knew what it was- if they could see inside my mind, the first thing they would do was stick me in a coffin. But what was my life worth, compared to billions and billions of others? The Doctor would do it in a heartbeat. Well, really in two, hence his double hearts. Why shouldn't I do the same?

"Go," I said. "I mean it. In only a few minutes, they'll be here."

"I don't care. We will have you out by then."

I ignored him, sticking to the point. "When I go, you need to get in the TARDIS and fly away immediately. The world needs you to suck up your emotions and just listen to me for once."

At this, he stopped and looked up. "What?"

"Listen, Doctor. I might not see you again. I want to say that I regret nothing. At all." I smiled, reaching out a little for him, but of course not being able to reach. "Don't travel alone, okay? But don't forget me either."

His eyes followed my left hand, which was reaching down to the lever pulling me here. "Bella, what are you doing?"

I looked at him, one last time. "Goodbye, Doctor."

"Bella, no!"

But it was too late. I pushed the handle back, and was immediately sucked into the void.

The door slammed in my face. Stuck, stuck, stuck. Help, help, oh please, someone get me out of here, help-

"Lena, Lena!"

My eyes flew open, and I was breathing heavy. I gathered my surroundings. No box. Well, not a small one, anyway. Just the TARDIS. And no Alreeys. Instead, I found trusty Rory sitting on my bed, looking over me with concern. Thank heavens. I was safe.

"Rory," I sighed. "Sorry."

"It's no problem, you know that." He smiled softly. "Bad nightmare?"

"Not exactly. More of a bad memory."

"Ah. I know how that feels."

I plopped back down into my pillow. "Thanks for waking me up, Williams. You can go back to sleep now."

"You don't want me to stay here with you? I don't mind."

"No, it's okay. It's not worth you being grumpy all day tomorrow," I joked.

He started swatting at me with one of the smaller pillows on my bed. "Now look here, Miss I-Can't-Smile-Without-A-Cuppa-Coffee, I am _always _in a good mood."

"You lie!"

We were laughing so hard, we forgot to stay quiet. Soon, Amy was in the doorway, squinting against my lamp light. "Rory? Lena?"

"Oh, sorry Amy. We didn't mean to wake you," Rory apologized.

"What're the two of you doing?"

"Sometimes Lena needs me to wake her up from her dreams." He looked at me. "You alright?"

I nodded. "Thanks again."

"Alright then. Goodnight." He pulled the blankets up higher around me, then started out the door with his wife.

"Goodnight," I said quietly, reaching to turn out the light, even though I knew sleep would be impossible. It always was. Once the door had shut completely, I quietly reached under the bed, my hand searching around blindly for a certain shoebox I knew would help calm me down. I lifted it onto my lap and opened the lid, smiling down at my old, beat up Converse that were settled in snugly. That's not what I was in search of, however. Instead, I focused my attention on the flashlight hidden inside one of the navy blue Converse.

Discarding the box to the side, I once again settled down. With a struggled flick of a switch, the room was suddenly filled with glowing shapes, slowly revolving around the room.

"It's not what they really look like, of course," I remember him telling me. "But now you can sail through the stars. No matter where you are."

I smiled. This rusty little thing had gotten me through the toughest of times. Whenever the torment, torture, or fear got to be too much, I would slip this out of my pocket and be reminded of the better days. When I would wrap myself up and knot the long rope Rose had bought especially for me to the doorknob of the TARDIS, which isn't just a police box that can travel anywhere through space and time, but can also stop in the middle of space, too. The Doctor was not very happy when he first discovered me floating trough the air on my own (since he had insisted he held me by the ankle up until then), claiming it to be dangerous and risky. I replied, "What's the point of living if you're never going to take any risks?"

He had rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving me to look at my stars, but I could see the hint of a smile on his face.

Being trapped in the box back then, it was a little harder to see the full effect, since there was hardly any arm room, but it was better than nothing.

I needed a new one now, though. My current flashlight had started glitching a couple weeks ago, flicking off and on on its own, and it would stop spinning every once and a while then start again moments later, ect. It's use was about gone, but no one I knew could fix it. Well, there was one man, the creator of the gadget, but I wasn't allowed to ask him about It.

This was one of those moments when I wished the Doctor knew who I really /

Only a few hours later, I heard everyone start to get up. I thought about lying around a little while longer, taking my sweet time to get ready, when I heard the Doctor's door open, and instantly changed my mind.

I chucked off the covers, not even bothering to get dressed out of my pajamas first. He must have heard my approach, because his footsteps started to quicken. I raced forward, desperate to beat him. I took the shortcut into the kitchen today, proud of myself for remembering it this time. Even so, though, he was still there before me, looking smug as he took a bite of his toast.

"Damn you!" I hollered at him. "You're cheating somehow, I know it!"

"I," he said, dramatically placing a hand on his chest, "do not cheat."

"Rule number one," I shot back.

"The Doctor lies," I heard Rory and Amy echo near the stove.

Now who was smug? I had three against one.

"Even if I _did _cheat, I still got here first. Which means you," he tossed something small and brown at me, "still get the fakes."

I frowned, sulking as I walked over to the toaster. "Fakes" were the Doctor's term for those two little end pieces of bread that were always on the loaf. They could hardly qualify as actual slices, since nobody ever wanted to eat them. Alas, I was forced to. The Doctor and I had a race every time we were almost out of bread. Whoever got to the kitchen first in the morning got the good pieces, but runner up had to eat the fakes, even if they would rather starve.

And I always lost. Always.

Rory and Amy just stuck to oatmeal and coffee. The two of them acted as if they were growing a little tired of our childish games, but in reality I think they rather envied them. It's not like we acted like this all the time, either. Just in the mornings, before all of the hell began.

"Where are we off to today?" Amy asked, looking quite nice in a sweater and jean skirt.

"Can we stick to a planet that doesn't include memory loss?" Rory added, making me smile. He was still a bit wary after last week, when he got zapped with a laser gun that not only wiped his memory but his sense of logic, too. It got so bad he ended up thinking Amy was an apple.

"I don't know about memory loss, but there are some pretty nasty creatures on this one." The Doctor led us out into the main room, where he started flipping switches.

"Oh, great." Rory rolled his eyes. "Where is it this time?"

He paused for a dramatic effect. "Earth."

"Oh. That's not so bad."

I smiled. He hadn't caught on that the Doctor had just called us "nasty creatures". Yet.

"In the state of Wisconsin, to be exact. There's been a Slitheen attack."

I heard Rory groan.

Quickly, I rushed back to my room and changed into the first outfit I could find- jeans and a large sweatshirt. Not the most fashionable, but I didn't want to be left behind.

It had happened before.

The air outside was a bit nippy, and I was greatful I had chosen a sweatshirt over a tank top

Amy blew warm air onto her hands. "So how do you know these Slitheens are here?"

"The news," the Doctor replied.

"The news?"

"The news. They had all kinds of stories about strange sightings and such."

"I didn't know you kept up with the news."

He looked at the redhead."Why is it so strange to you that I opened a newspaper?"

"It just seems like such a human thing to do."

He flung his hands out before him. "Welcome to Earth."

"Great," I said, walking ahead of them. "Where do we start?"

"Not sure about that part." He reached a hand behind his head.

"Well then, we might as well check this place out then," Amy said, looking up at the large building before them. It was just now that I realized we had landed right out in the middle of a parking lot. "Since we have no other lead."

"I agree. Let's go." The Doctor continued to walk, but I fell behind, noticing a large sign not too far from the TARDIS.

"Um, maybe we shouldn't go here," I said hastily, trying to pull them away from the entrance door. "Why don't we try asking questions in that… Sonic restaurant over there?"

"We're already here, Lena, come on. We won't be long." Rory waved me over.

I sighed. "We always take long. Always." I trudged into the building, and I was shocked to see how much this resembled the one I had attended in an entirely different country. Tile floors, spirit posters supporting the team name, long hallways. We were unmistakably in a high school.

I crinkled my nose as Rory leaned over and said in my ear, "I understand why you didn't want to come here now."

We chuckled. I remember him telling me that he was somewhat teased in high school for being a nerd. Because, you know, anyone who can think for themselves doesn't always fit in with the "cool" group.

"What are we going to find here, Doctor?" I asked. "Are we really going to interrogate the students? I'd rather not talk to them."

"Why not? I bet they're lovely."

"You obviously haven't been to high school before."

"I have too! We just don't call it that on Gallifrey."

I wasn't so sure if I should ask, but I did anyway. "What do you call it?"

"The accademy."

Oh. "I don't know how the kids were on your planet, but here most of them don't like anything different than what they're used to."

"They're going to eat him alive for that bow tie," Rory said.

"They sure will," Amy agreed.

"They will not, bow ties are cool." The Doctor reached up to his collar and adjusted the tied fabric around his neck just like he usually does, but I couldn't help but notice it was almost an insecure motion.

"So what kind of shenanigans happened here?" I asked.

"Apparently, someone's going around injecting people with poison."

I looked at the Doctor. "And this automatically qualifies as a Slitheen attack?"

"Of course. Who else would shoot poison needles?"

I decided not to answer.

"You know, this should be-" The Doctor was interrupted by a loud, shaking noise. I think we all jumped by about a mile.

"What on Earth was _that_?" The Doctor exclaimed.

I smiled. "Welcome to Earth high school. You just heard a bell."

"Wait a minute. That signals the end of class," Rory pointed out. "Which means…"

"You might want to get out of the way." I rushed over to the side, near the doors we came in through, just in time. There was a loud pounding of feet as everyone quickly left their classes, rushing to get to the next one. They swarmed the middle, some couples stopping on the sidelines to make out when a teacher wasn't looking, creating a flowing line of teenagers. I looked around. Amy and Rory had made it to the other side, but the Doctor was missing. I looked into the crowd. There he was, trying to find his way out, turning his head this way and that, looking frantic.

I sighed. "For heavens sake, Doctor." I pushed my way through, thankful for the first time ever of the experience I had in one of these places.

"Come on, you." I grabbed the sleeve of his tweed jacket and pulled him along, bringing him safely to the other side.

"Thank you," he said, letting out a breath and coming his fingers through his hair. "That was quite scary."

I laughed. "You must scare easily."

"Of course I don't."

"Just by a pack of teens?"

"Precisely."

I shook my head. "Maybe we should follow them."

"Why?"

"To see where they're going. We can slyly sneak into a classroom with them then."

He snapped his fingers. "Good idea. Ponds! Follow the swarm!"

We made our way behind them. The crowd was not as overwhelming as before, since passing period was just about over.

"Let's see… Eenie, meenie, miney, moe." The Doctor pointed to a large wooden door that a tiny blonde girl was going through. He checked the label next to the door. "Ms. Gripes, Geometry. Sound good enough?"

"Let's just get it over with," I murmured.

We walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. At least we weren't late. I always hated being late.

"Why hello!" the Doctor greeted the class, interrupting the teacher. "I'm the Doctor, and these are my friends Amy, Rory, and Lena."

The students stared back at us, silent.

"So," he continued. "Have any of you seen anything strange lately? Specifically alien activity type things?"

The students still just stared.

"Large, green things? Shoot posion needles out of their fingers?"

More staring. On the other hand, I could see Ms. Gripes inching slowly towards her phone. I didn't feel like being locked up in the loony bin today. This tactic wasn't working.

"What he means is," I said, stepping forward. "There's been some murders reported around here, hasn't there?"

At this, they came out of their state of surprise and slowly nodded their heads.

"Right. Do any of you have any ideas who the person doing it might be?"

A few students raised their hands, looking at each other. Now I was the one surprised. I picked on the blonde girl we followed in here. "Yes?"

"Well, we were just talking about this yesterday, actually. But… We think it's Mrs. Staniper."

Ms. Gripes gasped. "Jennifer! How could you say such a thing?"

Amy walked up next to me. "Who's Mrs. Staniper?" she asked.

"The new librarian. She transferred here about a week ago. Came over from the middle school."

Oh. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. This told us nothing except that these people's bored minds didn't like the new transfer and connected her to the murders.

"The middle school in this town?" the Doctor guessed.

"Yes."

"Why did she transfer?"

The blonde shrugged. "No one knows exactly. Maybe they were treating her badly over there."

"I see." He turned to us. "Let's visit this librarian, just in case the kids are on to something. It's not like we have a better lead."

The three of us nodded.

"Are you the police?" we heard a small voice ask from the back of the room.

The Doctor turned his head. "Not exactly. Why do you ask?"

"Because I miss Jimmy," it was a girl. She looked teary eyed. "It's not fair that this happened to him."

Hold up. "Wait, this is happening to students here?"

She nodded at me. "Yes. Didn't you know that?"

Our silence answered the question.

"To the librarian?" Rory suggested.

"To the librarian," we all echoed.

Just as we were leaving, though, I noticed someone, and I stayed behind.

"Oh my gosh… Tasha?"

"I was wondering when you were going to notice me," a dark haired girl with glasses told me. Unlike the other children, she had a Scottish accent.

I ran forward and gave her a hug, despite however much she might not like it. "Why are you here? How is it possible?"

"Mum wanted to try America out for a little while. So we came here."

"I missed you! How long has it been?"

"About two years, now. Since you mysteriously left out of the blue. I was worried, at first, you know."

"At first?"

"Before I realized where you went." She nodded towards the door, where my friends had just left. "You were right. All of that time, I thought they were stories you made up. But there he is. He's different than how you described him, though."

"Yeah… He's changed quite a bit." I smiled. "But he's still the Doctor."

She smiled back. "I'm jealous. Zooming through galaxies? Sounds like a blast."

"It is," I agreed, then thought of an idea. "Hey, do you want to join us? I'm not sure if the Doctor will mind, but most likely he won't. It would be so much fun!"

"I don't know, Bella." She looked down. "I don't think I can. My parents will be so worried, and I can't just leave school…"

"Come on, be a rebellious teenager for once," I said. "Cell phones work wherever we are, so you can call your parents whenever you want. Plus, we can homeschool you, if you like."

"As much as I want to, I can't, Bella. I'm sorry."

I nodded. "Oh. Alright, then. Well… Enjoy your Geometry. Good bye."

I waved, then walked into the hallway.

"Hold up!" I heard a girl's voice say after about fifteen feet. "I'm coming!"

I half turned to see Tasha pacing towards me, back slung around her shoulder. "Glad to see you've come to your senses. Let's go find the group."

"So what exactly do you lot do?" Tasha asked.

"We find… stuff. And then we get rid of it, I suppose." I looked around. "Which way did you say the library was?"

"We'll be there in two seconds." She pointed to a large set of glass doors.

The room was completely empty. Loads of books, but no people.

"Didn't they say there were coming here?"

I nodded. "Yes, but I couldn't have found my way here without you. They have no one to help them." I sighed. "Come on, let's go find 'em."

We headed off back the way we came, traveling down a set of staircases to the first floor.

Where we were confronted by a tall, older woman, standing completely still, staring at us.

"Oh, Mrs. Staniper, hello." Tasha wrung her hands together. "We don't have passes, but we do have permission to leave…"

Now that I looked closer, the lady wasn't looking at us at all. She was staring above our heads, past us.

I turned to follow her gaze, wondering if she had seen the Doctor. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Instead, two men and another woman walked forward.

"Tasha," I said quietly, "I think we should run."

I tried to move past the librarian, but the fellows behind me took both Tasha and I by the arms, picking us up.

Tasha tried swatting at them. "Hey, you bloke! Put me down!"

"Well," I said, "this isn't good."

"I see why they don't allow students down here," Tasha told me. "Scary place."

We had been stuck in the basement of the high school, where it was cold and dark except for the dim light coming from the corner of the room.

"The Doctor should find us. Eventually."

She nodded. "Hope you're right." She smiled. "Speaking of the Doctor, what happened to trench coats and Converse? That man had a bow tie."

"That's kind of complicated."

"I have a feeling we've got a bit of time to discuss it."

I smiled. "Do you remember me telling you that he can't age?"

"Yes."

"Well, eventually, he has to change. When he's hurt in a way that would kill a human, he does this thing called regenerating. It's his way of healing himself, but in the process his body completely changes. His personality, too. It can be quite sad, actually. In a way, the previous Doctor does die."

"Whoa. Was he made to sound completely bonkers?"

"Sometimes, I think so."

She laughed. "So how many times has he regenerated?"

"This is the eleventh version of the Doctor. The one I used to tell you about- the trench coat and Converse- he was the tenth Doctor."

Tasha nodded, understanding. "Do you wish he hadn't regenerated?"

I shrugged. "I used to, in the beginning. Now, I see a lot of ten in him. And in his own ways, he makes me like him. He's funny, charming, challenging, and likes the oddest snacks."

"What about the girl you talked about? I got to meet her, once, remember? She was blonde."

"Yes, she was. I wonder about her a lot. I have no idea what happened to her. She was there when I left, but when I rejoined the Doctor, only Amy and Rory were with him."

"Why don't you ask the Doctor? About where she went?"

"I meant to tell you about that." I reached down and tied my long shoelaces. "You can't mention my real name. He doesn't… Well, he doesn't know it's me. He thinks I'm someone else, someone he just met recently."

"Is that why he called you Lena?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't make any sense, why don't you want him to know?"

I shrugged. "Not sure, exactly. It just seemed easier. That way, he won't have any regrets."

"What do you mean?"

"The Doctor's mind tends to blame itself a lot. In his memory, he left me, even though I chose to go, in the end."

"So you think it will be easier this way? If you just start over completely?"

"Exactly."

"Doesn't he recognize you, though?"

I lifted my hair. "I wasn't born a blonde. Started dying it right before I met you. Plus, I've grown quite a lot since then. I look loads different." I looked down. "I'm going to tell him, eventually. Just, could you keep my secret until I do?"

Tasha smiled. "Of course."

At this, we heard a door open. I stood up, glad to be leaving, but it wasn't the Doctor. It was a third of the group we had been looking for.

I crossed my arms. "Rory, you know you're not supposed to wander off."

"Look who's talking! I was searching for you."

"I didn't wander off, I stayed behind to get Tasha."

"Tasha."

"Yes. She's going to be joining us, hopefully. Tasha, meet Rory, Rory, meet Tasha."

"Hello," Tasha reached out her hand.

"'Lo. How do you two know each other?"

"We used to go to school together, after I moved to Bristol."

"Small world." He looked around. "Where are we?"

"The high school basement," Tasha said. "We've been down here for about half an hour."

"Lovely." He sat down next to me. "I left Amy and the Doctor on the second floor, when we realized you were gone."

I smiled. "You've always got to be the rescuer, don't you?"

"That's right." He leaned back on his hands. "So what have you two been doing while waiting?"

"Telling stories," Tasha said, giving me a look that said, _Don't worry, I won't say a thing_. I hated keeping secrets from Rory, but I couldn't trust him not to tell Amy, who I definitely couldn't trust not to tell the Doctor.

"Oh, my favorite past time." Rory looked at me. "Why don't we continue with your nightmares?"

"What?"

"If I'm going to keep waking you up every night, I deserve to know what I'm waking you up from."

"What nightmares?" Tasha asked.

I looked down. "They're nothing, really."

Rory gave me a look. "Well, nothing is sure scaring the hell out of you."

"I can't even remember them," I said.

"You're a terrible liar," Rory replied.

That's what he thought.

Before I had a chance to respond, I heard the creaking of the door open again. We all turned our heads hopefully, but to our dismay it was only one of the boys who had brought Tasha and I down here.

"Come," he said robotically.

We all stood up, seeing no other option.

He took us back upstairs and down a few hallways until we wound up in a very large room filled with tables and the distant sound of pans clanking together in the back. It had to be the cafeteria. It was not completely empty, however. I caught sight of Mrs. Staniper and her other two accomplices, who were standing next to Amy and the Doctor.

"There you are!" he beamed at the three of us.

Thanks to the TARDIS's translating, I could understand what the Slitheen (the Doctor had been right) was saying perfectly.

"One of you will stay with us," Mrs. Staniper said to Tasha, Rory and I. "The first two to step forward will go with the Doctor."

Without hesitation, I shoved Tasha and Rory in front of me, causing them to stumble a few steps towards the Doctor. Rory glanced back at me with an exasperated look, about to protest, but the leader beat him to it.

"Very well." She turned back to the Doctor. "You may go."

"Wait just a minute," he said. "I'm not leaving without her."

I went rigid at his words. So familiar.

The Slitheen shook her head. "That was our deal. You can save your friends, but one will stay with us to help."

"Help?" I said.

"We need more recruits," the man behind me explained.

Oh no. "Um, I don't think that's such a good idea. I would make a terrible Slitheen."

"Nonsense, you're perfect. You will fit in with the children amazingly. An even greater trick than being disguised as a teacher."

"Still, I'm awfully lazy, and I don't follow orders very well-"

"That will not be a problem. You wont be the one in control, seeing as you'll be dead."

Oh my stars. I was going to be killed and the have my body possessed by an alien.

I felt two hands clamp down on my shoulders, and I started squirming. "Please don't do this."

"Why ARE you doing this?" Amy asked Mrs. Staniper. "What's the point?"

"It has been proven that the human race is able to conquer over us," the Slitheen explained. "The more we get rid of, the less of a danger they are."

"Is that why you transferred from the middle school?" The Doctor questioned. "There was a bigger population here?"

"Precisely."

"Just because the humans can defeat you, that doesn't mean they will," Any said. "They don't even know you exist. If you continue on like this, however, and make yourself known, then they'll have something to defeat you for."

"If you leave now, no one will even remember you were here," the Doctor continued. "Come on, lets not make this like last time."

"Last time?" Rory questioned.

"How do you think I immediately knew what they were?"

It was silent for a moment as the Slitheens thought about their response. Finally, Mrs. Staniper said, "Very well. We will leave for now. But keep in mind, Doctor, we will be watching this planet. In defense mode."

"You do that. Can I have my friend back now?"

Mrs. Staniper nodded to the man, and he let go of me. I ran over, relieved, rejoining my group.

The Slitheens looked at each other, then reached their hands up to their foreheads, pulling on a zipper I hadnt noticed there before. The skin parted ways, like a costume, and the creatures shrugged the body off, kicking it aside as a green, worm-like thing appeared.

Farewell for now, Doctor, the one that had been Mrs. Staniper said, blinking its big, beady eyes. Then they disappeared upwards.

"Where did they go?" I wondered.

"Teleported to their ship."

Rory pointed to the disguises. "What happens to them?"

"Oh, well thats the bad part. Those people died when the Slitheens chose them as their disguise."

I looked down sadly. "I'll call the police."

The Doctor nodded.

Amy looked confused. "So that's it? They really just left?"

"Yup."

"That was boring," she muttered.

"Boring?" Tasha asked, surprised. "Isa- I mean, Lena almost just got turned into an alien robot, and you call that boring?"

The Doctor turned towards her, just seeming to realize her presence. "And who are you?"

"This is my friend Tasha," I slung my arm around her shoulders. "She wants to come with us."

"What did you tell her?"

"I said if it was alright with you, she was more than welcome to come."

He looked at her. "That would be quite a crowded party."

"Oh, come on," I said. "What's one more person? It's not like we don't have room in the TARDIS."

He smiled. "You're right. The more the merrier. I must warn you, though." He looked at Tasha, who held his stare. "Compared to what we usually do, this was a day off. You still up to it?"

Tasha grinned. "I'm all for a little adventure."

"Great! Let's go, the day's still young! There's places to go, things to see!"

I alerted the police of the situation, and suggested that they call the school and let the students be dismissed early in spite of the tragedy.

"Won't the police want us to stay and report?" Rory asked.

I can text my mum and tell her to stand in for us, say it was her who called, Tasha suggested.

"I like this one, Lena," the Doctor smiled at me.

We walked out the doors, leaving the school with one more person than we entered with.

And, despite the depressing scene, I couldn't help but be happy about it.

Before we left though, I noticed that the Doctor staggered behind a little, staring at the bodies we were forced to leave. So quietly that I could hardly hear him, he whispered, "I'm really sorry."

Then we hopped in the TARDIS and left.


	2. Chapter 2

"I just can't get over this," Tasha said as she gaped at the room.

I smiled. "You learn to, eventually. Once you see the entirety of this universe, this little amazement seems normal."

"How is it possible for all of this," she spun around, arms out, "to fit in such a tiny box?"

"In just the same way that it's possible to travel through time and space." I opened one of the doors, revealing an empty space. "This can be your room, if you like."

"Really? I get my own room?"

"Of course. What, did you think we shared?"

"No. I thought we slept on the floor."

The both of us laughed as she looked around.

"I love it," she said after a few moments of examination. "This will do perfectly."

"Sorry about the bunk beds. Amy, Rory, and I have been trying to persuade him to redecorate for ages, but we can't get him to budge."

"Are you kidding?" She tossed her bag onto the bottom bunk. "It's a bed, with a ladder. What could be better?"

My jaw nearly dropped at this statement. "Oh, he'll definitely like you."

"Lena!"

Me and Tasha's heads whipped toward the sound, coming from outside the room.

"Speak of the devil," I muttered, then craned my head out the door. "What is it?"

"You're needed in the control room, pronto!"

I looked at Tasha. "You coming?"

She shook her head. "No, I think I'm going to get a little settled in. Try and redecorate, you know?"

I nodded. "Alright. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks."

With that, I walked through the halls, retracing my steps from earlier back into the control room, where the Doctor was, as usual, tinkering around with buttons and switches and dials.

"What's up?" I asked him.

He spun, smiling when he saw me. "I have a surprise for you."

Uh oh. I eyed him suspiciously. This could be either a very good thing or a very bad thing. With the Doctor, you could never truly tell.

"What does this 'surprise' entail?"

His grin grew wider. "Now if I told you the answer to that question, it wouldn't be much of a surprise anymore, would it?"

I sighed. "I suppose not."

He clasped his hands together. "Right then. Go gather the others, we've got somewhere to be."

It was getting a little stuffy in my sweatshirt, so I quickly changed into a cute gray sweater before walking down the hallway and shouting, "Pond, Williams, and Soul! Time to go!"

Rory and Amy jogged out immediately, falling into pace next to me.

"Who's Soul?" Rory asked me.

"That's Tasha's last name," I replied.

"I see."

I looked over at him. "Are you okay, Rory? You've been acting a bit odd today."

"What?" He glanced back at me. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I exchanged a glance with Amy, my eyebrows raised, telepathically asking her, "Do you know what's up with him?"

She shook her head and shrugged, mutely replying, "No idea."

Maybe it was just me being paranoid, then. I tried to shake off my sudden suspicion and kept walking, rejoining the Doctor once again.

"Ah, there you all are," he greeted us. "Ready to go?"

"Not yet, we've got to wait for Tasha."

Right on cue, my friend entered the room, quickly walking over to us.

"Reporting for duty," she said cheerfully.

"Great! Let's go." We started to follow him out, but he stopped short and turned, grabbing a couple items off a nearby shelf. "I almost forgot. We're going to need these for a bit."

I weighed the torch in my palm, clicking it on as I stepped out of the TARDIS and into the warm night. I stared up at the sky. The few stars that could be seen were dim, hardly visible. That was a shame. I so did love the stars.

I took in my surroundings, shining the light around, the beam showing me trees, dirt, grass, leaves, and a pebble path that was covered in so much debris it could barely be justified as something that leads a way. Nevertheless, the Doctor started following its direction, guiding us through the trees.

"Where are we?" Tasha wondered.

"A forest, obviously," Rory answered. Maybe my ears still had hints of paranoia, but his tone sounded irritated.

"I gathered that," she said. "What I meant was, where are we going?"

"This way," the Doctor said, pointing through the trees. If I looked closely enough, I could see a clearing, filled with lights.

"What is that?" I asked.

"A party!" he replied joyfully.

"In what year?"

"1950. Rather lovely time, if you ask me."

The clearing was getting closer now, and I could make out a large house, and tiny little dots that littered the green lawn, which I guessed were people. Of course, there was also the high possibility that they were aliens of some sort. You had to learn to start expecting these sorts of things when you traveled with the Doctor.

Soon, we broke out of the protection of the trees, leaving ourselves exposed in the middle of the gigantic lawn. We were close enough to the party now that I could hear voices, laughing and happy.

Out of nowhere, I was struck with a feeling of deja vu. I had been here before. Well, not _here, _exactly, but in this sort of situation. A long time ago, with different people. My mind flashbacked to the memory…

"What planet are we on, Doctor?" I had asked, trying not to trip on roots as we approached the building, which was surrounded by red-skinned creatures, who were all dressed in emerald green clothes.

"Not sure. I'm not even familiar with the name of this race."

"You haven't been here before?" Rose asked, surprised.

"Can't say I have." He grinned, quickening his pace. "Ah, the excitement of unexplored places."

I remember I had laughed, also feeling excited, because I too loved new planets, new adventures when we had no idea what to expect. Nowadays, though, I tended to get a bit more nervous than I used to when I wasn't sure where I was.

The five us trampled down the hill, trying to keep our footing on the steepness of the land.

Now, I could hear the sound of a band, muffled through the walls of the mansion. I could make out the features of what used to be the tiny black dots and found that they were indeed human.

"Will you please tell us where we are?" Amy asked The Doctor.

"Not a chance. It's a surprise, remember?"

"Is there at least some sort of purpose for us here?"

"Yes," he said as we weaved our way through the small groups of people, all dressed in glamorous outfits. "We are here to meet someone."

"Who?"

"I'm not telling!"

Amy sighed.

"But she's important," he continued. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough."

He opened the door to the large house for us, but as I stepped through I worried someone would call us out. I mean, we weren't exactly dressed for a dazzling 50s party. I said as much to The Doctor.

"Right you are, Lena. But I don't think we need to worry, this was the start of the strange era you live in now. The people shouldn't be too suspicious."

We casually continued to walk around the room, following the man who pretended to know exactly where he was going, even though we all knew he didn't have a clue.

"I could've sworn she would be here," he said after a while, scratching the back of his head. "I would've bet money on it."

"You know if you told us who we are searching for," I said quietly, "we could actually help you find her."

The Doctor gave me a look.

"Well, maybe we should get back to the TARDIS," he said with a tone of disappointment. "Since there doesn't seem to be anything for us heeeerrre!" His voice wavered up and down with a cheery air as he spotted someone walking through the crowd. "There! There she is!" He rudely spread apart a couple that were dancing slowly to the music so we could have a clear view. He was pointing to a woman with pale, blonde, curly hair and lipstick that was a very bright shade of red.

We walked forward, the Doctor following behind, as I quickly stepped forward, heart racing at the thought of who this might be.

It couldn't be, it just couldn't be, not really.

But when she turned, I saw that it could, and it was. Really.

She was even prettier than she was in the pictures.

Standing before me was the one and only, Marilyn Monroe.

—

A/N: Sorry this one was kind of poorly written, everyone! I never was the best writer in the bunch. I should have part three up in the next week, and I hope that one is a little better! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Amy stepped closer, squinting at the figure in front of us. "Is that-"

"I think so," Rory said.

"Marilyn Monroe?" I asked quietly. "You took us to meet Marilyn Monroe?"

I turned around to look at the Doctor, but he wasn't there.

I said, "Where did he go?"

The four of us looked around, but there was no Doctor to be seen.

"I dare you five bucks to go talk to her," Rory murmured in my ear.

I smiled. "Oh, you are so on. I was going to anyway."

I started stepping closer, saying, "Miss Monroe?", but was stopped by a very big, very muscular man.

"Oh. Hello," I said in surprise.

"Do you have a problem?" he demanded.

My eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"I think you should step away from Miss Marilyn. Now."

That's when it snapped in my brain. Bodyguard.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to say hello to her-"

"That is not possible, Im afraid." The man looked me up and down. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Lena." I had gotten so used to saying this, telling this lie, that it now felt almost natural. "I only wanted to meet Norma for a second-"

"I said no. Now back off."

"Wait a minute, Marcus, let her speak." The blonde beauty settled a gentle hand on the mans arm, pushing him aside. She looked at me with kind eyes, and my breathing was almost entirely cut off. I had always been fascinated by Marilyn, by her tragic story and sad life, and seeing her in person made me feel like I was near fainting.

"What did you call me?" she asked.

I swallowed. "Norma. Thats your real name, right?"

She smiled. "Yes. I'm just not very used to hearing it."

"It's a lovely name, it's a shame that it's not used."

"Well, what can I say?" She sighed. "The complications of being famous."

I took in the sight of this Hollywood icon. She was dressed in a lovely white dress, her fingernails painted to perfection.

"Would you like to join me on a tour of the house?" she asked suddenly.

I looked around. So this was her home.

"Really? That would be great," I answered, somewhat shocked.

"Wonderful. You can bring your friends along, if you like." She nodded her head towards Rory, Amy, and Tasha, who looked utterly dumbstruck.

I waved them over. "Come on, you guys!"

"Well, that's the last room," Marilyn said brightly, closing the door. "What did you think?"

"I think they should've made this into a museum," Amy said quietly.

Marilyn's brow furrowed. "What was that?"

"Oh, um, I was just saying that your home is wonderful."

"Why thank you." She smiled, happy.

"Well, we hate to leave you, Miss Monroe," Rory said. "But I'm afraid we must look for our other friend, who seems to be lost in the party downstairs."

"Alright then. It was lovely meeting you."

I didn't want to leave, standing in the presence of this remarkable woman, but I knew that I had to.

As I started following them down the stairs, though, a voice stopped me.

"Wait Lena," Marilyn said. "I would like to talk to you, just a moment more."

You didnt have to tell me twice. "Okay."

"So, how come I've never seen any of you before? Are you guests of a celebrity?"

"Yes. We're here with-" I raked my brain for other famous people during this time, but came up with nothing. "A movie star," I ended lamely.

She nodded as if she understood. "I see. How are you liking the party?"

"It's lovely. Im having a great time."

Her smile was sad. "I wish I could say the same."

I wondered how close in time we were to her death. The Doctor had said we were in 1950, but he often estimated, so we could be in any year around that exact one.

"Norma," I said, "do you ever regret becoming a star?"

She breathed a great sigh, her shoulders heaving up, then down. "I just want people to love me. I thought this would be the way to have that come true." She looked down. "I suppose being loved for being someone else doesn't really count."

I wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better, but I was worried about the impact it would have. Messing with the past was a dangerous thing. So I stayed quiet, as much as I hated to. Instead, I simply took a few steps forward and wrapped my arms around her for a brief moment. I didnt say anything as I let go and left her, staring after me as I walked down the stairs.

"Where were you?" the Doctor asked when I joined them.

"I could ask you the same thing," I shot back. "I was chatting with Marilyn, since thats what you brought us here for. Right?"

"Well, I wanted you to see her, but I wasnt expecting for you to go off and have tea with her." He grinned. "Are we ready to go, then?"

"Wait a moment," Rory said. "We really just came here to visit?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No Cybermen are about to bust through the windows?"

"Of course not, why would you think such a thing?"

We all just sort of stared at him.

He sighed. "Do you actually enjoy having your life threatened every other day? Its Lena's birthday this week, and since we had some free time, I decided to take the opportunity and let her meet someone she's always wanted to." The Doctor turned his gaze to me. "Marilyn was on the list, correct?"

I laughed. "Top ten! I definitely won't be forgetting this day for a while."

"Doctor?" a recently-familiar voice said behind us. "Doctor, is that you?"

We turned to see Marilyn Monroe looking straight at the Doctor, an angry expression on her face.

I heard him exhale. "This is why I was hiding."

"I waited for you!" Marilyn cried, stepping closer to us.

"Now, Marilyn, you know that marriage wasnt in any way official, just a prank-l

"A prank? A prank? We had a preacher!"

"Friends, I think its time to be going." I felt the Doctors hands on my shoulders, propelling me forward. "Lovely to see you again Monroe!"

So there we were, racing up the hill, with my feet tripping me and the Doctor having to pick me back up, when I started thinking about something Marilyn had said to me.

_I suppose being loved for being someone else doesn't really count.._

I couldn't ignore the fact that this quote somewhat applied to my life. All I had wanted, for most of my life, was to be loved. Now that I had found the Doctor again and met Amy and Rory, I had gotten the closest to that feeling than I ever had. But really, was it being loved at all? If they did love me, they didnt love the real me, because they thought I was Lena. Or was Lena the same person as me, just a different name?

Before I could decide, I was confronted by the TARDIS doors and bursting through them.

"Great, that was a lovely trip, where to next?" The Doctor was rushing to the controls, already flipping switches even though our next destination was still undecided.

"I don't mean to be a bother, but do you think we could stay on Earth?" Tasha asked him, polite as ever. "And move towards 2012? I wanted to explain to my parents in person where I will be."

Tasha and I waited curiously for his answer.

"I don't see why not," he smiled. "We've got time, and any friend of Lena's is a friend of mine." He winked over at me, but his face faltered. "Lena, are you alright? You look odd."

"You look lovely too, Doctor, thanks." I laughed. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, I suppose. Since I was driven awake by a race."

"I'm surprised you even get up anymore, since you know, you always lose anyway."

I glared at him. "You should give me a fair chance!"

"Still under the impression that I cheat?"

"I'm never not under that impression."

"My dear Lena, I may be an alien, but I cannot cheat." He twisted a dial.

"Right. Well call it that."

"On our way!"

I looked at Tasha. "You may want to hold on to something."

She looked back at me.

Just then, the TARDIS started jolting about, and no matter how hard I held on, I always ended up tumbling onto the ground somehow.

When everything had calmed down, I saw the Doctor sit up and exclaim with glee, "We're here!


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked Tasha as we strutted through a quiet little neighborhood, which Tasha claimed she recognized as her own. "What if they don't let you leave with us?"

"Then, as much as I might not want to, I'll have to stay." She frowned. "As much fun as exploring galaxies sounds, I love my parents and trust their judgement. If they think it's best for me to stay here and finish school, then that's what I'll do."

I sighed. "Well, that kind of sucks. Caring parents are way too overrated."

"I would have to agree with that," Amy smiled.

"I can't wait to even begin to explain to them," Tasha said sarcastically. "'Oh, hey mom and dad, sorry I was gone. I ran off with a strange man and his friends. Hope you don't mind.'"

The Doctor overheard this. "You see, this is why I suggested a simple telephone call. It would be much easier."

"Words of a coward, Doctor," I looked at him sternly.

"Hm. I suppose you're right." He lifted his hands up in surrender. "Bigger person. Right thing. I get it."

I looked over at Tasha. We had halted suddenly to a stop, and I wondered why. She nodded up at a large, green Victorian house.

"This is it," she said.

"Why, it's lovely!" The Doctor exclaimed, stepping ahead, towards the door. "Very homey."

He lifted a hand and poised his index finger over the lit doorbell, and I watched as he pushed it. A loud (yet muffled), singsong ringing could be heard, coming from inside.

"Coming!" A female voice said as someone approached the door. We heard something unlatch, then the door swung open before us, revealing a woman of average height that was unmistakably Tasha's mother.

"Oh, hello," she said. "Who are you?"

Tasha stepped out from behind us to greet her parent. "Hi, mum."

Her mother, whose name I could not remember for the life of me, looked at her daughter with wide eyes.

"Natasha Soul, where have you been? I get a text to go to your school with no explanation except for that I needed to say I was the one that reported those poor, poor people in the cafeteria, and you don't so much as call? Do you know how worried I was about you?"

With that, the yelling stopped and she pulled Tasha in for a hug.

The her eyes turned back to us.

"Tell me, Tasha, did these people kidnap you?" Mrs. Soul demanded. "You can tell me, it will be alright."

"Mom, do you really think they would bring me back if they had abducted me?" Tasha laughed. "These are my friends, they stopped the people that were killing everyone."

"Oh," Mrs. Soul still sounded doubtful. "Do they have names?"

"Hello," the Doctor greeted her in reply. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Amy, Rory, and Lena."

"Pleasure," Mrs. Soul muttered.

Tasha looked at us apologetically. "Why don't you guys come in?"

We all stepped in to the house, following Tasha as she led us to the kitchen.

"I'll make some tea," she said.

"You better be able to multitask then, because you have some explaining to do," Mrs. Soul said as she sat down with us at the large kitchen table.

"Right," her daughter replied as she started to fill up a kettle. "You see, this lot showed up in my classroom this morning, asking questions about the disappearing people."

I blinked. That was only this morning? Time really does pass when you're traveling. Literally.

"I wanted to help them figure out the case," my friend continued. "So I followed them when they went to look for suspects. After that, it was really rather a blur."

"Un-blur it, please."

"Mother, I don't really see how it matters. The real thing we should be discussing is what these people are." Tasha waved her hand in our general direction.

"What d'ya mean, 'what they are'?"

"Get this, mum, they're time travelers."

Mrs. Soul looked at us briefly before busting out laughing.

"I'm serious!" Tasha stamped her foot.

"Of course you are, darling," her parent said, still chuckling.

"I _am. _We just got back from seeing _the _Marilyn Monroe."

This only made Mrs. Soul laugh harder.

"If you would just _listen_," Tasha said desperately. "When you got to the school, did you notice anything strange about the bodies?"

"Except for the fact that they're insides seemed to be vacuumed out?"

"That, and their foreheads," Tasha added.

Mrs. Soul looked confused. "Their foreheads?"

"They had zippers on them, mother, didn't you notice?"

She thought back. "Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall something being attached to the foreheads, which weren't attached to the top of their head. A zipper would be an accurate explanation, but how would that be possible?"

"Aliens used those bodies as their disguises, mother."

Mrs. Soul sighed. "First time travel, now aliens? This is getting a little old, Tasha."

"Aliens are just as real as time travel is, ma'am," I heard Amy say.

Tasha's mom looked to the redhead. "So you must be the one who set her up to this, then. Well, I have time, so please humor me."

"My name is Amelia Pond," Amy said. "When I was a little girl, I had an imaginary friend, and when I grew up, he came back. His name's the Doctor," her eyes glanced at said Doctor, "and he has a blue box called the TARDIS that can travel anywhere in time and space. We've run away with him, and we've been running ever since."

"A TARDIS?" Mrs. Soul exclaimed. "What in the world is that?"

"A sort of spaceship, if you will," Amy said. "It's outside, if you don't believe me."

Mrs. Soul walked over to the front door as Tasha handed us all a mug of tea.

"How much are we going to tell her?" I asked the Doctor.

"As much as we have to, I suppose. It doesn't bother me any."

"Well, in that case." I stood up and joined Mrs. Soul.

"Follow me, I'll show you the inside," I told her, leading her to the police box.

"I don't understand. When did this get here?" she asked.

I ignored the question and reached in my pocket for my key.

"Try not to say what I know you're going to say, if you don't mind." I told her as I unlocked the blue door and swung it open.

"Excuse me?"

We walked inside, and I waited patiently as I heard her gasp and watched her eyes go wide.

"W-What in the world is this?" she asked me, astounded.

"It's the TARDIS, like we said."

"But-but it's bigger on the inside! How is that possible?"

I sighed. "I asked you not to say that." I walked up to the controls, running my hand lightly over the buttons and switches. "Alien technology, I guess you could call it."

Mrs. Soul narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you saying that that man, the Doctor, is an alien?"

"Yes, he is."

The dark-haired woman put a hand to her head, trying to take it all in.

"And this can really take you anywhere in the universe?"

"Anywhere."

She looked at me. "Could you show me?"

"What?"

"Prove it. Take me somewhere in time."

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"It doesn't have to be anywhere fancy, just take me back to breakfast last week or something."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I can't. I don't think the Doctor would like that."

Mrs. Soul nodded, disappointed, and we turned to leave.

I jumped when I saw the Doctor himself standing in the doorway to the TARDIS, smiling at me.

"Good call, Lena." He looked at Mrs. Soul. "Do you believe us now?"

She nodded.

"They always do after they see her." He patted the door, and the three of us walked back inside.

"So you see, mother, I will be home schooled, so it's not that big of a problem."

"Home schooled by who?" Mrs. Soul, who I had found out went by the first name Leah, asked.

"Um, well," Tasha glanced at me for help.

So, obviously we hadn't thought this through enough.

"I'm a teacher," Amy blurted out. "In the real world. I tutor Lena. I'm sure it won't be any trouble to have Tasha join us."

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh at the lie. I looked over at Rory to see if he was doing the same, but oddly enough, he wasn't. He didn't seem to find this at all out of the ordinary, as if he actually believed what Amy was saying. Strange.

Mrs. Soul looked to her husband, who had joined us about half an hour ago. He shrugged and said, "Well, I don't see anything wrong with her going, for a little while."

Leah sighed. Finally, she came to a decision. "Fine. You may go. On one condition: you take your sister."

Tasha groaned. "Mom-"

"I have to object to this," The Doctor said. "This isn't a family resort."

"Only for a day," Leah continued. "Then she can come back."

We all stared at The Doctor. I thought his answer would be a definite no, so I was surprised when he said, "One trip. That is it. Then she comes back. The TARDIS is getting too crowded."

Leah smiled, then yelled, "Iva! Come here, please!"

"Do I get to go, mom, do I get to go?" A little girl with straight brown hair asked joyfully as she bounced into the kitchen.

"For a little bit, yes." Leah shot her eyes at her oldest daughter. "But you better take care of her."

"I will," Tasha said reluctantly.

Iva cheered, then gasped.

We all turned to see what the matter was, and I noticed she was looking at... me.

"Bella! I haven't seen you in forever!" she squealed.

Oh, shit.

I tried not to panic as I felt everyone except for Tasha and her sister turn to me with confused expressions.

Tasha grabbed Iva quickly. "That's not Bella. Bella had red hair, remember?"

"No she didn't, she had br- Ow! Don't step on my foot!"

"Sorry," Tasha apologized. "She was really little then, when I had a friend named Bella. She just can't remember what she really looked like."

I waited tensely for The Doctor's reaction. To my immense relief, he shrugged it off. "Well, let's get this little girl to a new planet, shall we?"


End file.
